Improvement in shifting carriage-tops



HQ M.'GILLESPIE & VLTRUE.

, SHIFTING CARRIAGE-TOP. No. 170,361. Patented Nov. 23,1875.

I NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. GILLESPIE AND VIRGIL TRUE, OF LAOLEDE, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHIFTING CARRIAGE-TOPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 170,361, dated November 23, 1875; application filed October 25, 1875.

To all whom 1.1? may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY M. GILLEsPIE and VIRGIL TRUE, of Laclede, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Shifting Buggy-Top and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in Which Figure 1 is a side elevation, with a portion of the rail broken away; Fig. 2, a plan View of the rail Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the buggy-seat.

This invention relates to certain improvements in shifting tops for carriages, buggies, 800.; and it consists in a horizontal bottom rail, to which the top frame is attached, which said rail is slid into grooves around the top edge of the seat, and held therein by a locking-key. It also consists in a double set of vertical supporting-props for the top, whereby the latter is more securely held in an elevated position.

In the drawing, A represents the buggyseat, around the top edge of which is formed, by horizontal flanges, the groove (1. B is the frame of the buggy-top, which is constructed upon, and attached to, a bottom rail, 1), which slides into the groove a of the seat. Said rail is made preferably square, but may be of any other shape, and is slided from the rear of the buggy into its groove a. G is a spring-locking key, which passes through two extensions or flanges, c c, of the buggy-seat, and locks the horizontal rail securely in its position in the groove, the ends of said rail being firmly secured in sockets d. In order to give greater rigidity to the top and prevent its falling from the Wind or accidental contact with trees, we construct upon the bottom rail two knucklejointed props, D D, instead of one, each bending in an opposite direction from the other, so that the top is braced in both directions in the most thorough and substantial manner.

The advantages claimed for our shifting top are, case of construction, convenience of adjustment, and general adaptation to buggies already in use, with but little alteration.

To remove the top, all that is necessary is to take out the locking-key and slide the top to rear, so as to Withdraw the rail from the groove, thus affording a much more convenient adjustment than the old form of unscrewing the top.

Having thus describedour invention, what we claim as new is- 1. The combination, with a buggy-seat having a groove near the top, of a detachable top having a horizontal rail adapted to slide into said groove, as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with the buggy-top, having rail b, and the buggy-seat having a groove, a, with flanges c c of the spring-locking key 0, as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with a buggy-top, of the two knuckle-jointed props, D D, bending in opposite directions, as and for the purpose described.

. HENRY M. GILLESPIE.

VIRGIL TRUE.

Witnesses:

PETER F. FELT, O. D. EDWARDS. 

